BA Cabin Crew Strike – My opinion

I left my job at British Airways nearly 3 months ago now as part of the voluntary redundancy packages that the company was offering.  Even then there was a feeling throughout the company that we were experiencing the most difficult times that the airline had ever faced.  I worked at BA through the 11 September tragedy and subsequent closing of US Airspace for over a week.  It was a dark time then and the “Future size and shape” plan that the then CEO Rod Eddington had to implement made things feel even worse.

But the airline pulled together, all the staff looked at what they could do to help and stood together, truly united in helping each other and the company that we loved to survive.  This included some silly things like turning off the fountains in the outdoor smoking area and not providing disposable cups for the water fountains.  But, as Tesco knows, every little helps.

This recession however has been even more difficult for British Airways.  This time the company is faced with the low-cost airlines (who have a completely different business model) as well as video-conferencing, the growth of the Internet & Web 2.0 and mobile technology, all of which reduce the need for travelling around the world to do business.

As background, my role at British Airways (when I left) was in the Customer Relations department.  My role was to deal with customers who wrote, called or emailed in to the company about their experience.  Many of these contacts were complaints about many different aspects of the service, but we did what we could to help customers and make things better.

All across the airline staff have been asked to take Voluntary Unpaid Leave, Voluntary Unpaid Work, cuts in bonuses, reductions in working hours, changes to core hours and anything else that they can do to help.  We accepted as many of these as we could – because we knew that it was vital that we help the company to raise as much cash as possible in the short term, and that we work smarter in the long term.  The Flight Crew accepted it, Engineers accepted it, Ground staff accepted it, the contact centres accepted it.  The only people who seem to have had a problem for the last 9 months have been the Cabin Crew.  

In times like this it seems that the crew have forgotten that British Airways trades on the view that people have of it.  BA is a long standing company that is very often in the public eye.  The British public have a passion for BA and feel strongly about the way that it runs.  From many of the people that I spoke to many of them feel personally let down when things go wrong.  They feel personally invested in the company and they want to see it succeed.  But the problem is that a 12 day strike, AT CHRISTMAS, will cause a huge drop in public support.  This will lead to less people feeling confident in the airline, and ultimately less passengers.

Tony Woodley, Unite and the crew – listen to the feedback you’re getting from your customers, listen to the swell of public support for Willie Walsh and the BA management team, listen to your colleagues who are also going through huge changes to ensure that you all have jobs.  Remember that over 40,000 people also work for the same company and this selfish stamping of your feet will trample on their toes and may – in the end – cost you all your jobs.

You’re well off at BA, believe me – I’ve only been working outside the company for 3 months but I can see just how well off I was there, the management do care for your opinion – but they can’t just think of you.  Now is the time for BA to reshape itself for the future.  Because in its middle age shape that it is now it just can’t support itself.

Please, just think about what you’re doing.

Ethan

Share on Facebook

test Filed under BA, blogging | Tags: #BAStrike, advice, BA, blogging, Cabin Crew, opinion, Unite the Union, Willie Walsh | 429Comments (3)http://efan78.com/140/2009/12/ba-cabin-crew-strike-my-opinion/BA+Cabin+Crew+Strike+-+My+opinion2009-12-16+13%3A56%3A49efan78